FOUNDATION OF LOVE
And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “‘LoveG25 the Lord your God with all your heart and with all our soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘LoveG25 your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:34-40 (BSB)
When asked what the greatest or most important commandment was, Jesus replied that it was to love God with every fiber of your being. Then He went on to say the second greatest was to love others as you love yourself. We have come to the conclusion that all the character traits described as the “Fruit of the Spirit” emanate from God’s love for us, our love for God, and the love He places in our hearts for people. Jesus made the statement that “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” In other words, if we love God completely, not holding back anything, then the Holy Spirit will empower us to love others unconditionally as God has loved us.
As we have investigated the scripture verses that include the word “love,” we are gaining a picture of God’s all-encompassing love for us. Our response to so great a love should be to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind—in other words, with the composite of our entire person, everything we are. Once we begin to understand God’s love and love Him to the utmost of our ability, the Holy Spirit can tutor us in loving others. The Ten Commandments are often categorized as “vertical” or toward God and “horizontal” toward people. In the next two devotions we will examine this idea more closely.
Evaluate your own “Love Foundation.” Are you immersed in scripture—God’s love letter to us—to gain a deeper understanding of God’s love for you? Are you building on that foundation to love God with every aspect of your being? Then, is your love flowing outward to other people? Periodically, perform a heart check regarding the importance of expressing love to God and to others. Is God’s love flowing through your veins? Only when His love is freely flowing, can we give a transfusion of His love to others.
Father, help us to begin to grasp Your perfect love for us. Let us return that love wholeheartedly. Then, Lord, let Your love overflow in our lives until the people in our path cannot help but feel Your love showering down on them as a much-needed, soaking rain.